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Four Primaries Held Today; Spring Offensive Heats Up Search for bin Laden; What Does America Think About Martha Stewart Verdict?
Aired March 09, 2004 - 11:00 ET
THIS IS A RUSH TRANSCRIPT. THIS COPY MAY NOT BE IN ITS FINAL FORM AND MAY BE UPDATED.
THIS IS A RUSH TRANSCRIPT. THIS COPY MAY NOT BE IN ITS FINAL FORM AND MAY BE UPDATED.
DARYN KAGAN, ANCHOR: Attorney General John Ashcroft to undergo surgery. Doctors say they're going to operate next hour to remove his gallbladder. Ashcroft is suffering from a painful case of gallstones that caused an inflammation of his pancreas. Doctors say the surgery is a preventive measure that should avoid a recurrence.
It is 11 a.m. on the East Coast, 8 a.m. on the West Coast. From CNN Center in Atlanta, good morning once again. I'm Daryn Kagan.
It does promise to be another big day for Democratic presidential hopeful John Kerry. Party primaries are under way at this hour in four southern states.
Our Judy Woodruff, as always, keeping a close eye on the day's political news. She joins us from Washington.
Good morning, Judy.
JUDY WOODRUFF, CNN CORRESPONDENT: Good morning, Daryn. Thank you.
Well, John Kerry does take another big step today toward the Democratic nomination. He is expected to make a clean sweep of all four primaries being held in Texas, Florida, Louisiana and Mississippi.
A total of 465 delegates are at stake. After today, Kerry is expected to be just short of the total delegates needed to put him over the top.
Currently, Kerry has 1626 delegates; 2,600 -- or rather, 2,162 is the number needed to win the nomination.
Never mind that the calendar says March. George Bush, John Kerry, and even Dick Cheney, are going after one another like it was late October.
In Texas yesterday, the president zeroed in on Senator Kerry's voting record.
(BEGIN VIDEO CLIP)
GEORGE W. BUSH, PRESIDENT OF THE UNITED STATES: Senator Kerry voted for the Patriot Act, for NAFTA, for the No Child Left Behind Act and for the use of force in Iraq. Now he opposes the Patriot Act, NAFTA, the No Child Left Behind Act and the liberation of Iraq. My opponent clearly has strong beliefs. They just don't last very long.
(END VIDEO CLIP)
WOODRUFF: In Iowa, Vice President Dick Cheney also attacked Senator Kerry, accusing him of saying one thing one day and something else the next. Cheney quoted a young soldier who told him indecision kills.
Well, that brought a blistering response from Kerry, who was campaigning in Florida.
(BEGIN VIDEO CLIP)
SEN. JOHN KERRY (D-MA), PRESIDENTIAL CANDIDATE: Let me tell you something, Mr. Cheney. Let me tell you something, Mr. President. Bad rushed decisions kill, too.
And not giving American citizens health care kills, too. And turning your back on the environment and going backwards on clean air and clean water kills, too.
(END VIDEO CLIP)
WOODRUFF: John Kerry, speaking in Florida.
Another Democratic presidential contender, Congressman Dennis Kucinich, expected to be released from a Cleveland hospital tomorrow. Kucinich is being treated for a stomach ailment, apparently brought on by food poisoning.
A spokesman says Kucinich is conducting telephone interviews and sending e-mails today.
After the hanging chads debacle of election 2000, electronic voting machines were thought to be the answer. Now, nearly four years later, there are still questions about the machines.
We'll take a look this afternoon at what it means for today's primaries and for the general election in November.
Plus, one former presidential candidate has become a staunch ally of Senator Kerry, causing much speculation about his vice presidential aspirations.
Retired General Wesley Clark joins me live when I go "INSIDE POLITICS" this afternoon. But for now, let's go back to Daryn in Atlanta.
KAGAN: Not exactly how the general was hoping to spend the Super Tuesday of the southern states.
WOODRUFF: Not quite, no.
KAGAN: But you're a good second choice, Judy. WOODRUFF: Thank you.
KAGAN: Thank you so much.
All right. Talk more politics. The gloves are off. The presidential race is getting down and dirty.
Tucker Carlson, co-host of CNN's "CROSSFIRE," joins us from Washington to talk about the tone of the campaigns.
Tucker, good morning.
TUCKER CARLSON, CO-HOST, "CROSSFIRE": Good morning, Daryn.
KAGAN: Are you surprised how early things are getting nasty?
CARLSON: No. I'm not surprised at all.
I am surprised -- It's interesting how the president's referring directly to Senator Kerry as "my opponent," sometimes by name. That's just a recognition of the obvious. It's a race against Kerry, and the White House is taking it seriously.
I mean, they could lose and they know it. Good for them for being real about it.
KAGAN: Why are you surprised that he's referring to him by name? Is he giving him too much credit by acknowledging his presence so early on?
CARLSON: Well, sure. I mean, sure. Typically, you know, if you're the incumbent, you want to be the incumbent. I mean, he's the president of the United States. And you know, to the extent you can kind of ignore your opponent, you want to do that, because after all, again, you're the president.
But at this point, that's probably not effective. The White House recognizes that, and they're going after John Kerry and his voting record, all totally fair.
KAGAN: And John Kerry fighting back. We have a few more sound bites I want to roll right now. Let's listen to those.
(BEGIN VIDEO CLIP)
KERRY: I remember spring break. You could come down here, kick back, lay around do nothing. The only place you can do that now is on the Bush economic team.
BUSH: My opponent clearly has strong beliefs. They just don't last very long.
(END VIDEO CLIP)
KAGAN: You know, they're quippy. They're cute. They're funny. They kind of make you smirk. But do you think this is what the kind of political debate in America really wants, Tucker?
CARLSON: Yes. I think...
KAGAN: You do?
CARLSON: I do. I think it's absolutely fair to attack somebody's record, particularly somebody's voting record, Bush's record as president.
When Kerry get up there and says, you know, where the weapons of mass destruction, that's absolutely fair. When Bush says about Kerry, well you voted for this but now oppose it, that's a fair attack.
What don't work are personal attacks. That's the lesson of the Clinton years. Personal attacks, even when they're accurate, and even when they're justified, for that matter, don't move swing voters. I mean, if there's one thing we learned from impeachment, it's that.
I don't think Democrats have learned it. So when you see candidates get up there -- in the primaries you saw this a lot -- and say, you know, of Bush, either, you know, he's dumb, or I don't know, he's a coward because he didn't go to Vietnam or he looked ludicrous in a flight suit, that gets the base excited, but I don't think it actually moves the votes you need to move.
KAGAN: All right. We'll be tracking it.
And by the way, this is the first time we've had you on since you were named "best dressed" by "Esquire" magazine. Congratulations on the big accomplishment.
CARLSON: Well, that's where bribery will get you, Daryn.
KAGAN: There you go. We'll get into that at another time. Tucker Carlson, we'll see you later today on "CROSSFIRE."
CARLSON: Thanks.
KAGAN: Thank you so much.
John Kerry is counting on Florida to add to his delegate total in today's primaries. Kerry is also putting together a legal team to keep an eye on voting in Florida this year. He says he wants to avoid the problems that left the 2000 election in dispute.
On CNN's "AMERICAN MORNING," Florida Senator Bob Graham talked about the Florida factor.
(BEGIN VIDEO CLIP)
SEN. BOB GRAHAM (D), FLORIDA: My take is, first that Florida is going to be in play in 2004; second that it will be very competitive.
And, finally, the issues that Floridians indicated were of greatest interest to them, Medicare, Social Security, jobs, access to health care, those are the kinds of issues in which John Kerry has a strong aggressive program where the president, I think, is unusually weak.
(END VIDEO CLIP)
KAGAN: Graham says that Florida will be pivotal in the race for the White House.
A long way to November, and poll numbers are little more than just some statistical snapshots at this point. Still, our senior political analyst Bill Schneider looks at the latest findings in the CNN/"US Today"/Gallup survey.
(BEGIN VIDEOTAPE)
BUSH: Gentlemen, start your engines.
BILL SCHNEIDER, CNN POLITICAL ANALYST (voice-over): And they're off. The early lead among likely voters goes to John Kerry, by eight points.
Let's see what happens if you throw Ralph Nader into the mix, even though he may not get on the ballot in every state. Nader gets two percent, at Kerry's expense. The race gets even closer. Nader actually gets five percent among all registered voters, but most of them are unlikely to vote.
Want to see a picture of polarization? Here it is. Republicans are voting 95 to three for George W. Bush. Democrats are voting 95 to three for John Kerry. Wow.
Coming out of the primaries, Democrats are just as united as Republicans.
KERRY: I believe that in 2004, one united Democratic Party, we can, and we will, win this election.
SCHNEIDER: The outcome is in the hands of swing voters, independents who make up a quarter of the electorate, and they favor Kerry right now.
He who controls the agenda controls the outcome. The public rates Kerry as better than Bush for handling health care, the deficit, Social Security, and the economy. Domestic issues.
The public rates Bush as better than Kerry for handling terrorism, Iraq, and world affairs. International issues.
Here's a surprise. The two candidates are rated the same on taxes, despite President Bush's big tax cuts. Here's another surprise: Bush has only a slight advantage on gay marriage, within the margin of error. There's no broad consensus behind the president's call for a constitutional amendment to ban same sex marriages.
President Bush has been criticized for using images of 9/11 in his campaign ads. His response...
BUSH: I will continue to speak about the effects of 9/11 on our country and my presidency.
SCHNEIDER: The people's response: most say it's not appropriate for President Bush to use those images.
President Bush criticizes Kerry for flip-flopping on the issues.
BUSH: My opponent clearly has strong beliefs. They just don't last very long.
SCHNEIDER: The people's response: the public sees Kerry as more likely than Bush to change positions on issues for political reasons.
(on camera) Less than a week into the campaign, score one hit for each side. Many more to come.
Bill Schneider, CNN, Washington.
(END VIDEOTAPE)
KAGAN: The future of the Martha Stewart brand remains uncertain this morning, as its namesake faces possible prison time, a source telling CNN that Stewart will leave the board of directors of her company, Martha Stewart Living Omnimedia.
The news came on the same day that Stewart met with her probation officer after her conviction for conspiracy, obstruction of justice and lying to federal investigators.
In her first public remarks since her conviction, Stewart said, quote, "I just want to thank my readers, my viewers, my Internet users. I just want to thank everyone for their support."
A CNN/"USA Today"/Gallup poll finds the majority think that Stewart should go to jail. Fifty-three percent of those polled say they think that Stewart should serve time, compared to 40 percent who say they believe she shouldn't. The percentage was higher among men. Fifty-seven percent said they thought Stewart should go to jail, compared to 49 percent of women who thought so.
So how do you feel about the Martha Stewart case? Coming up, Jeanne Moos hits the streets to ask the question, "Do you feel sorry for Martha?"
Also ahead, new technology and a new offensive in the search for the world's most wanted terrorist.
And a joyous family reunion for a young girl thought to be dead. But one family member is missing from the picture, and he is not happy about it.
CNN LIVE TODAY will be right back.
(COMMERCIAL BREAK)
(STOCK REPORT) KAGAN: Now the hunt for Osama bin Laden. Sources with access to latest intelligence tell CNN the al Qaeda leader may make a move in coming days.
Here now, our senior Pentagon correspondent, Jamie McIntyre.
(BEGIN VIDEOTAPE)
JAMIE MCINTYRE, CNN CORRESPONDENT (voice-over): The so-called spring offensive aimed at smoking out Osama bin Laden is picking up steam along the border between Afghanistan and Pakistan. And there's some indication bin Laden may be feeling the heat.
Sources tell CNN that U.S. intelligence has found indications of a network of al Qaeda couriers and safe houses on the Afghanistan side of the border, which could be a sign bin Laden might be planning to flee Pakistan, assuming that's where he is.
Among the pressure points that could flush bin Laden out of hiding, increased cooperation from Pakistani military forces and perhaps more importantly, some of the tribes that rule the ungoverned border zone.
This video from the Arab network Al-Jazeera shows some 2,000 men from a tribe in the Whanna (ph) region in western Pakistan along the Afghan border, who, under pressure from the Pakistan government, are said to have joined the hunt for al Qaeda.
This tribal leader says, "The Whanna (ph) region is like a ship, and we're all on board."
Other pressure points include better technology, including 24/7 aerial surveillance from satellites, U-2 spy planes and Predator drones, some armed with missiles, and better intelligence. U.S. troops and CIA operatives have formed closer ties with tribes in the area where bin Laden is believed to be hiding, and that's providing more leads.
(on camera) The Pentagon is very anxious to manage expectation. The big concern here is the spring offensive could come and go with bin Laden still at large. So while officials are predicting bin Laden will be captured or killed, they're not saying when.
Jamie McIntyre, CNN, the Pentagon.
(END VIDEOTAPE)
KAGAN: Pentagon officials tell CNN that five British detainees have been transferred from Guantanamo Bay Naval Base in Cuba to the British government. And there are no details of the release, but it comes amid public complaints from Terry Waite, who was held prisoner for nearly five years in Lebanon.
Waite accuses the U.S. of human rights violations in its treatment of terror detainees at Guantanamo Bay. Waite was part of a group that marched to the White House yesterday in protest. He also appeared last night on CNN's "ANDERSON COOPER 360."
(BEGIN VIDEO CLIP)
TERRY WAITE, HELD HOSTAGE IN LEBANON: My conditions were harsh, and I've not made a comparison between conditions. I'm talking about due process of law.
Now I can well understand and I have great sympathy with the fact that people are afraid of terrorism. However, you don't defeat terrorism by this particular means. You don't make a unilateral decision to make what is nothing more than a large interrogation camp outside the jurisdiction of the courts.
ANDERSON COOPER, HOST, "ANDERSON COOPER 360": But these people were combatants in a war. They were picked up, for the most part, on the battlefields of Afghanistan, a few places elsewhere.
I'm not quite sure -- I mean, some 10,000 people were rounded up. Ultimately, only some 650, I think, are being kept at Guantanamo Bay. I'm not sure what status you think they should be held under?
WAITE: I mean, you raise a very interesting question. On the so-called war on terrorism where is the battlefield?
Now, I agree, you see, it does present us with new challenges. But if we want -- if we find that the existing laws are inadequate for this new situation, then there are means whereby we can get together collectively as a group of nations and draft appropriate legislation to deal with this kind of problem, not by taking this unilateral action.
Unfortunately, the rule of law, and international, human rights conventions, have been broken. And they're there for the protection of us all and for all our freedoms. And you undermine them, you undermine all our freedoms.
(END VIDEO CLIP)
KAGAN: Another four British terror suspects remain in U.S. military custody. Most prisoners at Guantanamo Bay have not been formally charged.
It is a vision of space like nothing we have seen before. New images from the Hubble give us an incredible glimpse of a young universe. That's next.
And she's guilty, but do you feel that way for making fun of Martha Stewart? Jeanne Moos find out what folks really think of Martha Stewart's plight.
(COMMERCIAL BREAK)
KAGAN: You are looking at the deepest ever view of the universe, courtesy of the Hubble Space Telescope. Scientists are hailing the images as history making. They say it shows the first galaxies that formed when the universe was still very young.
The image was created over the course of several hundred orbits of the space telescope. That's like holding a shutter on a camera open for a million-second long exposure.
Hubble was launched in 1990. Its mission was extended to 2010. But in January, NASA announced it would not maintain the telescope in the future.
(WEATHER REPORT)
KAGAN: The joke, the laugh, the snickers. Now that Martha Stewart is guilty, aren't you just feeling a little bit that way, too? Maybe just a little, little bit?
Our Jeanne Moos set to find out.
(BEGIN VIDEOTAPE)
JEANNE MOOS, CNN CORRESPONDENT (voice-over): Only the paparazzi...
UNIDENTIFIED MALE: Martha! Over here, Sweetheart!
MOOS: ... would dare call Martha Stewart sweetheart. She went from baking cookies to getting caught with her hand in the cookie jar.
After months of ridicule, Martha Stewart lying, Martha Stewart living, behind bars, polishing handcuffs, Martha is finally getting some sympathy.
(on camera) Do you feel at all sorry for Martha Stewart?
UNIDENTIFIED FEMALE: Of course I do.
UNDIENTIFIED MALE: I feel absolutely sorry for her.
UNIDENTIFIED FEMALE: A little bit.
MOOS (voice-over): No one will be sorrier to see the Martha Stewart saga end than comedians.
ANA GASTEYER, AS MARTHA STEWART: I'm Martha Stewart, and I'm on a boatload of anti-anxiety medication right now. It's a good thing.
MAYA RUDOLPH, COMEDIAN: Middle-aged white women are rioting and looting to protest the Martha Stewart verdict. It's wild WASP-y mayhem.
MOOS: After all those jokes about prison stripes, always appropriate when working in your rock garden.
Or "Love the outfit." "Thanks, it's from the new Martha Stewart collection."
Reality is catching up with the cartoons.
(on camera) If it were up to you, how much jail time? Would she get jail time?
UNIDENTIFIED FEMALE: Oh, yes. I'd say probably five years would do it.
UNIDENTIFIED FEMALE: I'd give her a year.
MOOS (voice-over): Others opted for community service.
UNIDENTIFIED FEMALE: The must humble task; get down and dirty.
MOOS: The Martha story hasn't quite pierced the blissful ignorance of some.
(on camera) You've heard of her, though? I mean, you have heard of her?
UNIDENTIFIED MALE: Vaguely.
UNIDENTIFIED FEMALE: I just can't picture Martha Stewart in jail.
MOOS (voice-over): But cartoonists can, turning a cell commode into a lovely vase, showing how to make the perfect shiv, hand crafting tasteful tattoos on fellow inmates.
How can you not feel sorry...
UNIDENTIFIED MALE: In a way I do, in a way I don't.
MOOS: Now that her goose is cooked?
Jeanne Moos, CNN, New York.
(END VIDEOTAPE)
KAGAN: And we're going to update the top stories in our next half hour, including the latest on judgment day for John Allen Muhammad. Will the convicted D.C. sniper meet the same fate as his victims? We'll have the very latest in just a moment.
(COMMERCIAL BREAK)
KAGAN: Taking a look at the top stories at this hour.
U.S. Marines in Haiti shot and killed a taxi driver today as he sped toward a checkpoint. Sources say he did not heed a warning to stop. This is the second shooting incident involving the Marines since Sunday.
Attorney General John Ashcroft will undergo surgery next hour to have his gallbladder removed. He had several gallstones that have caused an inflamed pancreas. Ashcroft has been in intensive care at George Washington University Hospital since Thursday night.
Gas prices are nearing historic highs. The Energy Department says the average retail price at the pump climbed two more cents last week for $1.74, about a penny shy of the record.
Mainland gas is the most expensive in California, where it goes from $2 to nearly $3 a gallon.
Direct Television, Direct TV is suing O.J. Simpson. The company says that Simpson pirated its satellite...
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Search for bin Laden; What Does America Think About Martha Stewart Verdict?>
Aired March 9, 2004 - 11:00 ET
THIS IS A RUSH TRANSCRIPT. THIS COPY MAY NOT BE IN ITS FINAL FORM AND MAY BE UPDATED.
DARYN KAGAN, ANCHOR: Attorney General John Ashcroft to undergo surgery. Doctors say they're going to operate next hour to remove his gallbladder. Ashcroft is suffering from a painful case of gallstones that caused an inflammation of his pancreas. Doctors say the surgery is a preventive measure that should avoid a recurrence.
It is 11 a.m. on the East Coast, 8 a.m. on the West Coast. From CNN Center in Atlanta, good morning once again. I'm Daryn Kagan.
It does promise to be another big day for Democratic presidential hopeful John Kerry. Party primaries are under way at this hour in four southern states.
Our Judy Woodruff, as always, keeping a close eye on the day's political news. She joins us from Washington.
Good morning, Judy.
JUDY WOODRUFF, CNN CORRESPONDENT: Good morning, Daryn. Thank you.
Well, John Kerry does take another big step today toward the Democratic nomination. He is expected to make a clean sweep of all four primaries being held in Texas, Florida, Louisiana and Mississippi.
A total of 465 delegates are at stake. After today, Kerry is expected to be just short of the total delegates needed to put him over the top.
Currently, Kerry has 1626 delegates; 2,600 -- or rather, 2,162 is the number needed to win the nomination.
Never mind that the calendar says March. George Bush, John Kerry, and even Dick Cheney, are going after one another like it was late October.
In Texas yesterday, the president zeroed in on Senator Kerry's voting record.
(BEGIN VIDEO CLIP)
GEORGE W. BUSH, PRESIDENT OF THE UNITED STATES: Senator Kerry voted for the Patriot Act, for NAFTA, for the No Child Left Behind Act and for the use of force in Iraq. Now he opposes the Patriot Act, NAFTA, the No Child Left Behind Act and the liberation of Iraq. My opponent clearly has strong beliefs. They just don't last very long.
(END VIDEO CLIP)
WOODRUFF: In Iowa, Vice President Dick Cheney also attacked Senator Kerry, accusing him of saying one thing one day and something else the next. Cheney quoted a young soldier who told him indecision kills.
Well, that brought a blistering response from Kerry, who was campaigning in Florida.
(BEGIN VIDEO CLIP)
SEN. JOHN KERRY (D-MA), PRESIDENTIAL CANDIDATE: Let me tell you something, Mr. Cheney. Let me tell you something, Mr. President. Bad rushed decisions kill, too.
And not giving American citizens health care kills, too. And turning your back on the environment and going backwards on clean air and clean water kills, too.
(END VIDEO CLIP)
WOODRUFF: John Kerry, speaking in Florida.
Another Democratic presidential contender, Congressman Dennis Kucinich, expected to be released from a Cleveland hospital tomorrow. Kucinich is being treated for a stomach ailment, apparently brought on by food poisoning.
A spokesman says Kucinich is conducting telephone interviews and sending e-mails today.
After the hanging chads debacle of election 2000, electronic voting machines were thought to be the answer. Now, nearly four years later, there are still questions about the machines.
We'll take a look this afternoon at what it means for today's primaries and for the general election in November.
Plus, one former presidential candidate has become a staunch ally of Senator Kerry, causing much speculation about his vice presidential aspirations.
Retired General Wesley Clark joins me live when I go "INSIDE POLITICS" this afternoon. But for now, let's go back to Daryn in Atlanta.
KAGAN: Not exactly how the general was hoping to spend the Super Tuesday of the southern states.
WOODRUFF: Not quite, no.
KAGAN: But you're a good second choice, Judy. WOODRUFF: Thank you.
KAGAN: Thank you so much.
All right. Talk more politics. The gloves are off. The presidential race is getting down and dirty.
Tucker Carlson, co-host of CNN's "CROSSFIRE," joins us from Washington to talk about the tone of the campaigns.
Tucker, good morning.
TUCKER CARLSON, CO-HOST, "CROSSFIRE": Good morning, Daryn.
KAGAN: Are you surprised how early things are getting nasty?
CARLSON: No. I'm not surprised at all.
I am surprised -- It's interesting how the president's referring directly to Senator Kerry as "my opponent," sometimes by name. That's just a recognition of the obvious. It's a race against Kerry, and the White House is taking it seriously.
I mean, they could lose and they know it. Good for them for being real about it.
KAGAN: Why are you surprised that he's referring to him by name? Is he giving him too much credit by acknowledging his presence so early on?
CARLSON: Well, sure. I mean, sure. Typically, you know, if you're the incumbent, you want to be the incumbent. I mean, he's the president of the United States. And you know, to the extent you can kind of ignore your opponent, you want to do that, because after all, again, you're the president.
But at this point, that's probably not effective. The White House recognizes that, and they're going after John Kerry and his voting record, all totally fair.
KAGAN: And John Kerry fighting back. We have a few more sound bites I want to roll right now. Let's listen to those.
(BEGIN VIDEO CLIP)
KERRY: I remember spring break. You could come down here, kick back, lay around do nothing. The only place you can do that now is on the Bush economic team.
BUSH: My opponent clearly has strong beliefs. They just don't last very long.
(END VIDEO CLIP)
KAGAN: You know, they're quippy. They're cute. They're funny. They kind of make you smirk. But do you think this is what the kind of political debate in America really wants, Tucker?
CARLSON: Yes. I think...
KAGAN: You do?
CARLSON: I do. I think it's absolutely fair to attack somebody's record, particularly somebody's voting record, Bush's record as president.
When Kerry get up there and says, you know, where the weapons of mass destruction, that's absolutely fair. When Bush says about Kerry, well you voted for this but now oppose it, that's a fair attack.
What don't work are personal attacks. That's the lesson of the Clinton years. Personal attacks, even when they're accurate, and even when they're justified, for that matter, don't move swing voters. I mean, if there's one thing we learned from impeachment, it's that.
I don't think Democrats have learned it. So when you see candidates get up there -- in the primaries you saw this a lot -- and say, you know, of Bush, either, you know, he's dumb, or I don't know, he's a coward because he didn't go to Vietnam or he looked ludicrous in a flight suit, that gets the base excited, but I don't think it actually moves the votes you need to move.
KAGAN: All right. We'll be tracking it.
And by the way, this is the first time we've had you on since you were named "best dressed" by "Esquire" magazine. Congratulations on the big accomplishment.
CARLSON: Well, that's where bribery will get you, Daryn.
KAGAN: There you go. We'll get into that at another time. Tucker Carlson, we'll see you later today on "CROSSFIRE."
CARLSON: Thanks.
KAGAN: Thank you so much.
John Kerry is counting on Florida to add to his delegate total in today's primaries. Kerry is also putting together a legal team to keep an eye on voting in Florida this year. He says he wants to avoid the problems that left the 2000 election in dispute.
On CNN's "AMERICAN MORNING," Florida Senator Bob Graham talked about the Florida factor.
(BEGIN VIDEO CLIP)
SEN. BOB GRAHAM (D), FLORIDA: My take is, first that Florida is going to be in play in 2004; second that it will be very competitive.
And, finally, the issues that Floridians indicated were of greatest interest to them, Medicare, Social Security, jobs, access to health care, those are the kinds of issues in which John Kerry has a strong aggressive program where the president, I think, is unusually weak.
(END VIDEO CLIP)
KAGAN: Graham says that Florida will be pivotal in the race for the White House.
A long way to November, and poll numbers are little more than just some statistical snapshots at this point. Still, our senior political analyst Bill Schneider looks at the latest findings in the CNN/"US Today"/Gallup survey.
(BEGIN VIDEOTAPE)
BUSH: Gentlemen, start your engines.
BILL SCHNEIDER, CNN POLITICAL ANALYST (voice-over): And they're off. The early lead among likely voters goes to John Kerry, by eight points.
Let's see what happens if you throw Ralph Nader into the mix, even though he may not get on the ballot in every state. Nader gets two percent, at Kerry's expense. The race gets even closer. Nader actually gets five percent among all registered voters, but most of them are unlikely to vote.
Want to see a picture of polarization? Here it is. Republicans are voting 95 to three for George W. Bush. Democrats are voting 95 to three for John Kerry. Wow.
Coming out of the primaries, Democrats are just as united as Republicans.
KERRY: I believe that in 2004, one united Democratic Party, we can, and we will, win this election.
SCHNEIDER: The outcome is in the hands of swing voters, independents who make up a quarter of the electorate, and they favor Kerry right now.
He who controls the agenda controls the outcome. The public rates Kerry as better than Bush for handling health care, the deficit, Social Security, and the economy. Domestic issues.
The public rates Bush as better than Kerry for handling terrorism, Iraq, and world affairs. International issues.
Here's a surprise. The two candidates are rated the same on taxes, despite President Bush's big tax cuts. Here's another surprise: Bush has only a slight advantage on gay marriage, within the margin of error. There's no broad consensus behind the president's call for a constitutional amendment to ban same sex marriages.
President Bush has been criticized for using images of 9/11 in his campaign ads. His response...
BUSH: I will continue to speak about the effects of 9/11 on our country and my presidency.
SCHNEIDER: The people's response: most say it's not appropriate for President Bush to use those images.
President Bush criticizes Kerry for flip-flopping on the issues.
BUSH: My opponent clearly has strong beliefs. They just don't last very long.
SCHNEIDER: The people's response: the public sees Kerry as more likely than Bush to change positions on issues for political reasons.
(on camera) Less than a week into the campaign, score one hit for each side. Many more to come.
Bill Schneider, CNN, Washington.
(END VIDEOTAPE)
KAGAN: The future of the Martha Stewart brand remains uncertain this morning, as its namesake faces possible prison time, a source telling CNN that Stewart will leave the board of directors of her company, Martha Stewart Living Omnimedia.
The news came on the same day that Stewart met with her probation officer after her conviction for conspiracy, obstruction of justice and lying to federal investigators.
In her first public remarks since her conviction, Stewart said, quote, "I just want to thank my readers, my viewers, my Internet users. I just want to thank everyone for their support."
A CNN/"USA Today"/Gallup poll finds the majority think that Stewart should go to jail. Fifty-three percent of those polled say they think that Stewart should serve time, compared to 40 percent who say they believe she shouldn't. The percentage was higher among men. Fifty-seven percent said they thought Stewart should go to jail, compared to 49 percent of women who thought so.
So how do you feel about the Martha Stewart case? Coming up, Jeanne Moos hits the streets to ask the question, "Do you feel sorry for Martha?"
Also ahead, new technology and a new offensive in the search for the world's most wanted terrorist.
And a joyous family reunion for a young girl thought to be dead. But one family member is missing from the picture, and he is not happy about it.
CNN LIVE TODAY will be right back.
(COMMERCIAL BREAK)
(STOCK REPORT) KAGAN: Now the hunt for Osama bin Laden. Sources with access to latest intelligence tell CNN the al Qaeda leader may make a move in coming days.
Here now, our senior Pentagon correspondent, Jamie McIntyre.
(BEGIN VIDEOTAPE)
JAMIE MCINTYRE, CNN CORRESPONDENT (voice-over): The so-called spring offensive aimed at smoking out Osama bin Laden is picking up steam along the border between Afghanistan and Pakistan. And there's some indication bin Laden may be feeling the heat.
Sources tell CNN that U.S. intelligence has found indications of a network of al Qaeda couriers and safe houses on the Afghanistan side of the border, which could be a sign bin Laden might be planning to flee Pakistan, assuming that's where he is.
Among the pressure points that could flush bin Laden out of hiding, increased cooperation from Pakistani military forces and perhaps more importantly, some of the tribes that rule the ungoverned border zone.
This video from the Arab network Al-Jazeera shows some 2,000 men from a tribe in the Whanna (ph) region in western Pakistan along the Afghan border, who, under pressure from the Pakistan government, are said to have joined the hunt for al Qaeda.
This tribal leader says, "The Whanna (ph) region is like a ship, and we're all on board."
Other pressure points include better technology, including 24/7 aerial surveillance from satellites, U-2 spy planes and Predator drones, some armed with missiles, and better intelligence. U.S. troops and CIA operatives have formed closer ties with tribes in the area where bin Laden is believed to be hiding, and that's providing more leads.
(on camera) The Pentagon is very anxious to manage expectation. The big concern here is the spring offensive could come and go with bin Laden still at large. So while officials are predicting bin Laden will be captured or killed, they're not saying when.
Jamie McIntyre, CNN, the Pentagon.
(END VIDEOTAPE)
KAGAN: Pentagon officials tell CNN that five British detainees have been transferred from Guantanamo Bay Naval Base in Cuba to the British government. And there are no details of the release, but it comes amid public complaints from Terry Waite, who was held prisoner for nearly five years in Lebanon.
Waite accuses the U.S. of human rights violations in its treatment of terror detainees at Guantanamo Bay. Waite was part of a group that marched to the White House yesterday in protest. He also appeared last night on CNN's "ANDERSON COOPER 360."
(BEGIN VIDEO CLIP)
TERRY WAITE, HELD HOSTAGE IN LEBANON: My conditions were harsh, and I've not made a comparison between conditions. I'm talking about due process of law.
Now I can well understand and I have great sympathy with the fact that people are afraid of terrorism. However, you don't defeat terrorism by this particular means. You don't make a unilateral decision to make what is nothing more than a large interrogation camp outside the jurisdiction of the courts.
ANDERSON COOPER, HOST, "ANDERSON COOPER 360": But these people were combatants in a war. They were picked up, for the most part, on the battlefields of Afghanistan, a few places elsewhere.
I'm not quite sure -- I mean, some 10,000 people were rounded up. Ultimately, only some 650, I think, are being kept at Guantanamo Bay. I'm not sure what status you think they should be held under?
WAITE: I mean, you raise a very interesting question. On the so-called war on terrorism where is the battlefield?
Now, I agree, you see, it does present us with new challenges. But if we want -- if we find that the existing laws are inadequate for this new situation, then there are means whereby we can get together collectively as a group of nations and draft appropriate legislation to deal with this kind of problem, not by taking this unilateral action.
Unfortunately, the rule of law, and international, human rights conventions, have been broken. And they're there for the protection of us all and for all our freedoms. And you undermine them, you undermine all our freedoms.
(END VIDEO CLIP)
KAGAN: Another four British terror suspects remain in U.S. military custody. Most prisoners at Guantanamo Bay have not been formally charged.
It is a vision of space like nothing we have seen before. New images from the Hubble give us an incredible glimpse of a young universe. That's next.
And she's guilty, but do you feel that way for making fun of Martha Stewart? Jeanne Moos find out what folks really think of Martha Stewart's plight.
(COMMERCIAL BREAK)
KAGAN: You are looking at the deepest ever view of the universe, courtesy of the Hubble Space Telescope. Scientists are hailing the images as history making. They say it shows the first galaxies that formed when the universe was still very young.
The image was created over the course of several hundred orbits of the space telescope. That's like holding a shutter on a camera open for a million-second long exposure.
Hubble was launched in 1990. Its mission was extended to 2010. But in January, NASA announced it would not maintain the telescope in the future.
(WEATHER REPORT)
KAGAN: The joke, the laugh, the snickers. Now that Martha Stewart is guilty, aren't you just feeling a little bit that way, too? Maybe just a little, little bit?
Our Jeanne Moos set to find out.
(BEGIN VIDEOTAPE)
JEANNE MOOS, CNN CORRESPONDENT (voice-over): Only the paparazzi...
UNIDENTIFIED MALE: Martha! Over here, Sweetheart!
MOOS: ... would dare call Martha Stewart sweetheart. She went from baking cookies to getting caught with her hand in the cookie jar.
After months of ridicule, Martha Stewart lying, Martha Stewart living, behind bars, polishing handcuffs, Martha is finally getting some sympathy.
(on camera) Do you feel at all sorry for Martha Stewart?
UNIDENTIFIED FEMALE: Of course I do.
UNDIENTIFIED MALE: I feel absolutely sorry for her.
UNIDENTIFIED FEMALE: A little bit.
MOOS (voice-over): No one will be sorrier to see the Martha Stewart saga end than comedians.
ANA GASTEYER, AS MARTHA STEWART: I'm Martha Stewart, and I'm on a boatload of anti-anxiety medication right now. It's a good thing.
MAYA RUDOLPH, COMEDIAN: Middle-aged white women are rioting and looting to protest the Martha Stewart verdict. It's wild WASP-y mayhem.
MOOS: After all those jokes about prison stripes, always appropriate when working in your rock garden.
Or "Love the outfit." "Thanks, it's from the new Martha Stewart collection."
Reality is catching up with the cartoons.
(on camera) If it were up to you, how much jail time? Would she get jail time?
UNIDENTIFIED FEMALE: Oh, yes. I'd say probably five years would do it.
UNIDENTIFIED FEMALE: I'd give her a year.
MOOS (voice-over): Others opted for community service.
UNIDENTIFIED FEMALE: The must humble task; get down and dirty.
MOOS: The Martha story hasn't quite pierced the blissful ignorance of some.
(on camera) You've heard of her, though? I mean, you have heard of her?
UNIDENTIFIED MALE: Vaguely.
UNIDENTIFIED FEMALE: I just can't picture Martha Stewart in jail.
MOOS (voice-over): But cartoonists can, turning a cell commode into a lovely vase, showing how to make the perfect shiv, hand crafting tasteful tattoos on fellow inmates.
How can you not feel sorry...
UNIDENTIFIED MALE: In a way I do, in a way I don't.
MOOS: Now that her goose is cooked?
Jeanne Moos, CNN, New York.
(END VIDEOTAPE)
KAGAN: And we're going to update the top stories in our next half hour, including the latest on judgment day for John Allen Muhammad. Will the convicted D.C. sniper meet the same fate as his victims? We'll have the very latest in just a moment.
(COMMERCIAL BREAK)
KAGAN: Taking a look at the top stories at this hour.
U.S. Marines in Haiti shot and killed a taxi driver today as he sped toward a checkpoint. Sources say he did not heed a warning to stop. This is the second shooting incident involving the Marines since Sunday.
Attorney General John Ashcroft will undergo surgery next hour to have his gallbladder removed. He had several gallstones that have caused an inflamed pancreas. Ashcroft has been in intensive care at George Washington University Hospital since Thursday night.
Gas prices are nearing historic highs. The Energy Department says the average retail price at the pump climbed two more cents last week for $1.74, about a penny shy of the record.
Mainland gas is the most expensive in California, where it goes from $2 to nearly $3 a gallon.
Direct Television, Direct TV is suing O.J. Simpson. The company says that Simpson pirated its satellite...
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Search for bin Laden; What Does America Think About Martha Stewart Verdict?>
